Apple’s sales in the United States accounted for the largest share of revenue among all consumer technology firms in 2012, according to data published Tuesday by NPD. The company also did well in terms of consumer technology retailers, taking third place behind only Best Buy and Walmart.

Apple’s extensive chain of suppliers has been the focus of increased media attention in recent years, and the company has responded by listing [PDF] and auditing the firms that supply the components for our favorite devices. Now, ChinaFile has created an interactive Google Map that lets users explore the distribution of Apple’s suppliers around the world. Thanks to Macgasm for the tip.

Mac Geek Gab listener John needs a new external hard drive for his growing iTunes library. Will a cheap USB 2.0 drive be fast enough, or would it be better to go with a FireWire 800 or Thunderbolt drive? We examine the difference between the interfaces so that John can decide what best fits his needs.

You really should have attended Cirque du Mac X at this year's Macworld/iWorld but, for those who couldn't, Chuck Joiner's MacVoicesTV has the "unofficial" bootleg video from the show, featuring the Macworld All-Star Band. Check it out to see a great performance by Christopher Breen, Paul Kent, Chuck La Tournous, Bob LeVitus, Duane Straub, and TMO's very own Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin.

Following efforts last year to increase iPhone sales in India, Apple’s smartphone saw significant gains in both revenue and market share in the country during the fourth quarter of 2012, according to IDC data reported by The Economic Times Monday.

Recent rumors suggest that the second-generation iPad mini will adopt a Retina resolution display that exceeds the pixel density of its larger sibling, but doing so could raise the production cost of the device by more than 30 percent due to the need for additional backlighting and GPU performance. The change would also hit Apple's already shrinking margins, which have negatively affected the company's stock price.

Apple’s iOS and Android’s Google continued to dominate the global smartphone market in 2012, combining in the fourth quarter for over 91 percent of total smartphone market share, according to data released late last week by IDC. But Android alone remained king, shipping over three times as many units as Apple's platform.

Apple launched a new ad campaign for the iPad and iPad mini over the weekend. A combination of television ads and billboards highlight the more than 300,000 iOS apps formatted specifically for the iPad that make the product "up for anything you are."

The source code for Photoshop 1.0.1, released in 1990 for the Mac, is now freely available for non-commercial use thanks to Adobe and the Computer History Museum. The original MacApp libraries are not included and architectural issues will make it very difficult to get up and running, but those interested in a nostalgic compiling adventure can check out all 128,000 lines of code now.

Belkin's long-awaited Thunderbolt Express Dock is now available for pre-order with the unit ready to ship next week. The dock adds FireWire 800, USB 3.0, Ethernet, and dedicated audio ports to any Thunderbolt-capable Mac.

Jim Tanous

Jim Tanous writes TekRevue, a general interest technology site covering the most important Mac, Windows, Mobile, and Gaming stories each day, along with tons of tips and tutorials. He also stops by The Mac Observer each week to drop off a tip or two from the Mac Geek Gab podcast.